…a boomer muses about life, change, joys, sorrows and freedom from the prison of corporate life.

My New Carpet – An Update

You all may remember me writing last week HERE about my new carpet and how I love it. Well, that has not changed. The carpet installers did a lovely job, especially on the stairs, picked up their tools and scraps, vacuumed it with a giant industrial vacuum to pick up the little pieces and went on their way.

The next day I just kept staring at it and thinking how lucky I was to have it. So beautiful. So luxurious. And then, the Catch 22…

On the third day I decided to vacuum it, just because it was so pretty. I grabbed my Oreck sweeper, plugged it in, turned it on and…it wouldn’t move! I don’t mean it was hard to push. I mean it wouldn’t push at all! I think it took one sniff at that dense, plush carpet, folded its imaginary arms and went on strike. The smile that had been plastered on my face started to dim a bit. What was this? I couldn’t understand it.

Fortunately, I had another spare sweeper, a Eureka Boss and tried it. Nothing. I couldn’t believe it!

Well, there was nothing to do but put the sweepers away and hit the Internet. I Googled “best vacuum for frieze carpet.” What I found was many, many people asking the same question, but few answers. Great! Then I concentrated on the websites of professional carpet people and learned a few things. One was that I definitely needed a sweeper with adjustable settings because frieze carpet is so thick it requires the highest setting. They warned that if the beater bar was too low, it could actually frizz the carpet fibers! After spending what I did for this carpet, I wasn’t about to damage it. Others recommended a suction-only sweeper like some canister vacuums. I didn’t like this idea so much because, what with it being so thick, I wasn’t sure that suction alone would get it clean. Rats!

The next morning, bright and early, I headed out to Target, which I knew had a good selection of vacuums. I ended up buying a Bissell Helix cyclonic bagless sweeper that had five height settings. I got home, dragged the huge box up the basement stairs, struggled to get it open, attached the handle, set the height on “Highest,” and turned it on. It wouldn’t go. High wasn’t high enough. To say my spirits plunged would be an understatement. So…I disassembled it, boxed it up again, dragged the box back down the stairs and into the car. That was all I could take for the day.

The NEXT day I was determined to solve the problem! I headed out like a warrior, telling myself I wouldn’t return until I had success. This time I brought a big carpet sample with me, in case I went to a vacuum store. Target was nice about letting me return it, but, when I went back to look at their other sweepers, I just couldn’t see one I thought would work. Next I went to Wal-mart. They have canister vacuums as well as uprights. But the canisters just didn’t look up to the job and the uprights weren’t all that different than my Bissell had been. I suddenly remembered that in that shopping area, there was a Mar-Bec, which carried Simplicity vacuums. I figured that was worth a try. This time I hauled in my carpet sample, big as it was. When the guy asked if he could help me, I said, “I need a sweeper that will clean this rug. Do your Simplicity vacuums have adjustable settings?” He replied that the only Simplicity ones he thought might work ran in the $700 to $800 range. When I picked my jaw up off the floor, I asked, “Anything else?” He took down a Eureka which had about ten settings, put it on high, plugged it in and invited me to try it on my sample. By now, I had an audience and we all waited with bated breath. FOR NOTHING! I even had the guy try, but the carpet was just too thick for the sweeper. Talk about feeling at the end of your rope!

I gathered up my sample and went back to the car with a feeling of total helplessness. What on earth could I do? Where could I go? I mean, the carpet was here to stay. I had avoided calling my carpet salesman because he had already indicated that he’d love to see my carpet “in my house.” And I had a feeling he wanted to see more than the carpet, if you know what I’m saying. So, I headed for home.

As I was driving down an access road, my eyes fell on a Sears Grand store that I always forget about. Hmmm. Sears. Why not? I went in and discovered that they had the best selection of all kinds of vacuums of anyplace I’d been. A nice salesman in his thirties asked if he could help me. I looked right at him and said, “if you can, you’ll be my hero!” Then I went on to tell him the whole sad story. I ended by saying, “I just don’t know what to do.” He smiled and said, “I’ll tell you what we’ll do. Go out and get your carpet sample out of the car and we’ll try every single vacuum here until we find one that works.” I could have kissed him!

Bottom line, that’s exactly what we did. Well, we didn’t try EVERY vacuum, but when we found one that went over the carpet beautifully, we both started doing a happy dance. Sure, it cost more money, but this one does everything but the dishes! You can actually take the middle out of it and use it as a canister vac on the stairs. And it even has its own mini-beater brush for the stairs! AND you can turn the beater bar off for bare floors. It is so great. So, if you ever hear of anyone having this problem, I’m going to give you the ridiculously long name of the thing:

I just got a frieze carpet too, which is what has led me to your blog! OMG, I think I am about to cry.

I bought a dirt devil upright since it has the low/high pile settings, and at the stores after turning the manual dial on all vacuums and seeing or feeling no visible height change, I finally found this dirt devil that actually moved higher. I bought it, tried it this past weekend and it looks like it mildly frizzed my carpet in a tiny spot where I turned off the machine (and the brush obviously kept spinning in that one spot). I am taking it back, but I am not sure what to buy in place of it. Has your bissel been good to you? Does it actually not frizz your carpet yarn? And do you see a noticeable height change when you adjust the pile setting?

I have a canister vac that I have vacuumed small areas (closets) which does not damage my carpet. I can’t imagine doing my whole house w/the canister.

Teresa – The Bissell I bought has worked beautifully! You can see a HUGE difference between the lowest setting and the highest setting. It is definitely the sweeper for this carpet. You can even turn off the beater bar if you want to. It has not harmed my carpet in the least. I would still recommend it. Be sure to get the EXACT one I described. The first one I bought, the Helix, wasn’t high enough.

I can’t believe my luck! I just bought the Bissell Lift off for my soon to be delivered frieze carpet. I started worrying if it would work or ruin the carpet as I had also found out about the chance of frizzing the carpet threads. So I started my search and ended up here at your entry. I’m so glad to hear I made the right choice! 🙂 Thanks for posting your results.

Eileen – I’m so glad I could give you some reassurance! I wrote the piece because I became so desperate to find something that wouldn’t damage my beautiful new carpet and found very little information on the Internet. Just be sure to set it at its highest setting. Enjoy your new carpet!

OMG! I am in this exact situation. I just had Shaw’s platinum frieze installed. Had no idea I was going to have any problems vacuuming. I have a Dyson all floors vacuum and can’t even push it without breaking my back; tilting the vacuum so I can push it forward etc. Using the bare floor setting just doesn’t pick up the dirt and am terrified of the beater bar frizzing the carpet (learned that on the Shaw website). Thank you so much for your post. I’m going to Sears and purchase this vacuum. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a life and back saver. My biceps are bulging!!
Fitness finesse

This article has been so helpful! I just had frieze installed in my entire house a few days ago and love it (I think it’s the softest carpet I’ve ever walked on). I bought a new Dyson all floors before I realized what trouble it would be and luckily was able to return it. I’ve been going to every store I could think of without looking for a vacuum that would work and had also forgotten about Sears. Thanks so much for posting your story, I’m going to look for the Bissell you described tonight.

You are a life saver! I just bought a beautiful new Mohawk carpet. Like you, I just had to vacuum it, it is so pretty! But my fancy pants Dyson just wouldn’t work. Couldn’t handle the thickness. No way the carpet was going back, so I googled a solution and found you!! Put the thing together, and set it to the highest (7th) setting, and it works beautifully.
Thank you for letting us know about your research. It took me 10 minutes to buy mine at Target!!

I’ve had the same problem – sad part is the carpet manufacture is no help. They only say if you use the wrong vacuum it voids the warranty. Dyson helped me modify my vacuum so the vacuum would at least move on the carpet but without the beater bar it’s just not picking up like it should. Your story sounds just like mine, I’ve been everywhere looking and am off to purchase the Bissell today. Thanks.

You saved me! We just had almost 400 square yards of thick frieze carpet installed in our new house, and I’ve already bought and returned two expensive vacuums that, as you put it so perfectly, “took one sniff at that dense, plush carpet, folded [their] imaginary arms and went on strike.” I just found the Bissell you recommended at Target for a third of what the other machines cost… and IT WORKS!! I have spent the last three weeks absolutely sick to my stomach worried that the huge $$$$ we spent on the carpet was a mistake. Thank you so much!

Well, we are in the exact predicament and are in the midst of the search process for the right vacuum for our gorgeous but unvacuumable frieze. So happy to find these posts, however my biggest concern is the bagless vacuum. We have always used the uprights with bags because quite frankly just thinking about emptying the bagless canister sickens me. I could not handle breathing in the puff of dust and alergens when dumping it. Do any of you have this issue? I am desperate to find a bagged vacuum for the new carpet.

I’m so glad I found your post! Same old story – I just had new carpet installed and my Oreck vacuum wouldn’t budge! I took it in to the dealer and he said, “it’s the carpet!” So I thought, “great! I just spent $$$$ on this *!&^% carpet and now I can’t even clean it – aarrgghh! It’s almost criminal that the industry allowed such a gap to occur between manufacture and maintenance! HOWEVER! The Oreck man said that they have just developed a vacuum to handle this type of carpet and it will be out next week! It’s not horribly expensive and he assures me that it will work wonderfully on my new carpet. So I’m hopeful. Even though I’m disappointed to have to replace my 3 year old vacuum which I thought would last for many years. And I agree with Karen from the last post – I want a bag between me and all that dirt – with good quality Hepa filtering. The new Oreck should do that nicely. Now I just hope it lives up to my expectations and I can enjoy my beautiful new carpet for years to come.

Oh my gosh….it’s like I was drawn to your post! I had a Shaw platinum frieze installed yesterday! I was so excited to vacuum it once the guys left. My Dyson wouldn’t budge!! I seriously called the carpet store and told them the carpet was installed wrong! I went to Target and bought this one on sale today!! Works great. Unbelievable. When I called the store they said they had never heard of such a complaint….seems hard to believe with all these similar posts. Thank you so much for saving my time and energy!

Wow… we just had the Shaw platinum installed and have also been looking for the “right” vacumn.I was vacuming using the hand suction attachment of my Hoover Empower and the beater bar on the main unit was on a small spot near the entrance door,, couldn’t belived what it did to that small spot. Not realizing it was doing the “beater” thing. The frizzing!! I told the carpet salesman, they should strongly tell customers of this and even have a sample of what it WILL do to the carpet. We love the feel of this carpet, but need a way to catch the dirt it will trap in time. Any one else used the bissell it on Shaw platinum friese?

These posts sound just like me. I can’t tell you how many places I went and how many phone calls I made trying to find a vacuum that worked. With carpet sample in hand off I went. Like the other posters if I wanted to buy a $700 vacuum I found one that worked. After reading the posts I I also bought the Bissell however it would clog up so bad I ended up taking that back also. After getting my Dyson I had let someone use my Sears Progressive and never gave that a thought. It was returned to me through all this and I decided to try that out. Much to my surprise it worked especially since I had tried their newer Intituation and that would not move. It has a great deal of height settings with a beater bar on/off feature. After months of searching and phone calls I finally can vacuum my carpet.

My cleaning lady just informed me she has had to replace her vacuum due to my Capet being so thick. When she told me I googled sweepers for thick carpet and found your blog. I am headed to Sears tonight! Thanks for sharing!

I bought this vacuum after reading this article. Success. It works like a charm. The Test? Baking powder poured onto my carpet. Fibers are easily 1 inch long so you can imagine how deep that powder got. I did not think to take pictures but I put the vacuum together and ran it, with the brush off so I would not damage the fibers. Vacuum setting was on the middle adjustment and it picked up the baking powder. To get it up from the base of the carpet, I had to make slow passes, but it got it out.
I tried the $780.00 Dyson with the high pile setting and the vacuum would not even run through my carpet. (Thank you Bed Bath and Beyond for your hassel free return.) The Dyson ball did work on my carpet (Thanking the Mother in law for the use of hers)but this vacuum has more functionality and suction than the Dyson and it about $350.00 cheaper.
I am not just impressed but relieved. I was about to call the carpet company and tell them to come get this crap. Ahhhhh. relief.
Now I can enjoy my carpet.
Thanks to all for posting. It really helped me out a lot.

HI, So Happy Cleaner, you are happy with the Sears Progressive,??, I haven’t gotten a vacum yet for this carpet,, we haven’t moved into the room, but want to clean up the fibers where they cut the carpet and get room ready. Any other thoughts on the Bissell? I thought if the beater bar is down at all , the carpet will be ruined. Is there anougth suction on the bissell?

First of all I enjoyed the story! I found this post because I am trying to decide between frieze and plush. I am pleased with the vacuum you settled on because I already own this vacuum! I am happy with the job it does on my current carpet and even more happy to know that it will work on whatever new carpet I decide on!

THANK YOU!!!! My husband and I had frieze installed two weeks ago. We ordered a new vacuum also. It just came and nope it won’t push on this thick luxorious carpet that we absolutely love. So I got on the internet and found your blog. Unfortunately for you and all the work you went through but so helpful for so many of us that you took the time to share your story. I can’t thank you enough. We must return the one we got and seek out the one you found. Again thank you for taking the time to share your story and help others.
Melanie

Thank you for this! I was having the exact same issue and you are right – the lift off is the only vacuum that worked for me as well. I only had to return 1 vacuum and then I found your post. Thanks again!

TAHNK YOU!!! We have just bought a new house that has frieze and didn’t give too much thought about cleaning it yet as we haven’t moved in yet. I was researching what vacuum would work good to get pet hair out of the carpet when I stumbled on this blog. Thanks for cutting my research time down!

Your original post is a light at the end of my tunnel. I, too, had Shaw platinum frieze installed last week, my Dyson wouldn’t move, spent a day searching stores, internet, etc. for info and recommendations. Just went today and bought a Sears Progressive canister, came home, set it up, and it also won’t move through the pile. I just found your blog so we’re packing up the Kenmore and will look for the Bissell. I’ll certainly take in a large sample of carpet to try this time. Thank you for the ideas and for confirming that there is a problem and it’s not just me!

I’m back from returning the Kenmore canister and finding a Bissell just like you described in a different store for half as much (Sears only had the Bissell Helix). It works like a charm on the high pile, the knots are slowly leaving my stomach, and I love my new carpet again! Thank you, thank you for your blog. I had searched all over the internet and yours was the first really helpful tip. Frieze buyers beware! Too bad the carpet stores don’t alert you to this bit of information.

I am very unhappy at this moment. I have been waiting to purchase a Dyson for years. Finally picked one up for my new home a few weeks ago. It works like a charm. I am very happy with it. Today I picked up my new sofa and living room area run I had made with the thickest, softest most wonderful feeling carpet I could have imagined. Brought out my wonderful Dyson to clean off the strays and nothing. It won’t budge. I cannot return the carpet and I doubt I can return the Dyson since it has been used (and I love it). It is definitely putting a damper on today’s purchases. Who knew they made carpeting you couldn’t vacuum. I too would have like to have been warned that I would need to purchase a special vacuum before buying this carpet.

I’m so glad I found your blog. I just got thick new carpet too, which I love, but the new Dyson I bought won’t budge either. Thanks for doing the research for all of us with the same problem!!! Back to the store now with the Dyson. (If I can just figure out how to put it back in the box!) 🙂

This is so frustrating as I too bought Mohawk frieze and was told I did not need another vacuum and both a new Hoover windtunnel and an old Orek would not move!!! I just ordered the Bissel on amazon with free shipping. Thanks!!!

We put in the same carpet last week. . . and guess what? The EXACT same problem. Paid almost $500 for my wonderful Dyson 6 months ago and now it’s completely useless. I am sick about it. You’re right, paid too much for the carpet and it’s here to stay. THANKS for the info. I’ve got to do something.

Thank God for this blog!! I was desperate after my Dyson refused to budge on our new carpet. I even (foolishly) listened to the advice of a Dyson rep and went out and bought a new Dyson that he said would work on plush carpet. It also wouldn’t even budge. In tears, I finally did what I should have done after reading this blog the first time–bought the Bissell recommended here and it works like a dream! Sure, it’s cheap and I may have to replace it sooner than a Dyson, but at least my carpet is clean and this nightmare is over. I’m done with Dyson.

Thank you for your suggestion. I am in tears because I’m having the same problem and it’s been 4 weeks with no vacuum. I’ve tried two vacuums w/out success. I called the carpet store and they’re acting like this is the first time they’ve ever heard of this. And Mohawk won’t tell me what model is acceptable and would be covered under warranty. Next time I think I’ll skip the frieze.

Thank you so much for posting this! I searched everywhere and thought I was going to have to buy a thousand dollar vacuum to be able to vacuum my wonderfully plush new carpet! I just happened to run across your blog. My house was all tile, so when I redid the flooring, I went overboard and bought expensive, super thick carpeting!

I had a Hoover–it wouldn’t go through it, and would fray it if left in one spot. I had searched the stores for a vacuum that would go up high enough for my carpet. I ordered this Bissell online, and it works fabulously!

I have also tried many different vacuums on my frieze and have returned a few. I have a Dyson sitting in my basement gathering dust. My last purchase though was a Shark Navigator. I wasn’t expecting much, but I’m actually pretty happy with it. While it doesn’t have adjustable height, it dose have adjustable suction which allows it to push much easier on the deep carpet. It also has a lot softer bristles than my Dyson, so I dont feel like it is “fluffing” my carpet. After a couple years of frustration, I feel like my carpets are finally getting clean again. Like one of the earlier posters mentioned, buy it at Bed Bath and Beyond and try it. They will take it back if you dont like it.

This lady is an angel. I tried five vacuums before I read this article.
After much searching I found the Bissell and bought it. It works fine. The only feature missing is a retractable cord. I’ll gladly without that to be able to vacuum the carpet.

I am a proud and happy Dyson owner and have just suffered this same trauma of my vacuum does not move on my new beautiful cloud high and pillow soft carpet. With one call to my local Dyson owned and operated repair center, they walked me through a simple operation and I removed the thin rubber strip between the machine and the plate. Now it moves smoothly and I get Dyson suction on my new carpet. Dyson owners – don’t get rid of it. Use this company’s awesome customer service and work through it.

In response to the post before mine, I too removed the strip from my Dyson – still did not work. It’s making this terrible sound as well. Dyson rep said that Dysons will not work on all carpet types. I’m looking for this Bissell now, can’t wait to clean my carpets! Thank you so much!

We recently had a Mohawk Frieze (Kathy Ireland extra plush) installed. Love the carpet, however, as I thought our vacuum would not work on it. Could hardly even push it. I did some research and found that several people that had bought this carpet were having the same problem. A Bissell Lift Off Multi Cyclonic Pet Upright Vacuum with Hepa Filter was recommended. Went and bought one at Lowe’s ($159) and it works great! I used it with the brush on and it pushes easily. Thanks so much for the recommendation.

Are you still available? I had Shaw New York Ave III frieze installed two weeks ago and can’t find a vacuum that will move through it. Called everywhere in our town and the Bissell model you listed isn’t avail. Went to Bissell website and the only one they show is red. Your picture was blue and looked different. Could you please give the model number? Thanks a million.

I was in this same situation; I got new carpet and my Dyson wouldn’t push forward easily (backwards worked!). I read a forum where someone removed foam strips from their vacuum. I called Dyson Canada and they suggested that very thing. I removed the plate from the bottom easily and removed the foam strip from the plate and the one from the main part it’s attached to. It works in bare floor mode and is still a bit hard but much easier than before in the carpet mode.

And to Mary above, I checked with Bissell and they said the red one on their site is the one you’d be looking for. I think the only difference between that and the blue one is that the blue doesn’t have the pet hair attachement included.

Karen – Thank you, thank you. They just finished laying my new frieze and I got out my Dyson and found out the same thing the rest of you did. I went to Google and found you. You are a back & carpet saver! I’m going to town as soon as I’m done writing this.

I too bought a carpet by Shaw, although it’s a “texture” instead of the frieze. It’s super soft, thick and plush and my Dyson doesn’t work on it. I’m more heart sick of getting rid of my Dyson – I love that machine! I’m going tomorrow to return a Hoover (piece of crap) I bought last week. The Hoover works, but doesn’t pick up anything and has no suction at all and you can’t turn off the beater brush. I’ll try the Bissell (never has been my favorite brand) and hope it works. Thank you for the information. I will write back to let others know how it works.

So, I ordered the Bissell from Walmart – great price and a 20 dollar rebate. It came in two days and I felt like it was Christmas! Put it together, took it to my bedroom, said a little prayer, turned it on, and IT WORKED! I had it at the highest level and dared to turn on the beater brush – I’m such a risk taker… I proceeded to all the bedrooms with carpet, then to the tile in the bathrooms
(nothing flew out of the back of the vacuum – nice concept)! I really took a chance and vacuumed my new hardwood floors on the bare floor setting (beater brush off) – beautiful! It was then that I decided to look at the canister where the dirt goes and it was half full of dirt – not carpet fuzz. I am a happy camper and will return the “Piece of Crap Hoover” tomorrow. Thanks so much for posting this information.
P.S.
I’m so sorry I just now found this blog – I love Star Simplified’s writing and I hope some day she will return and write again. Until then, I wish she could know that she does make a difference – even if it was because of a dumb vacuum cleaner. I especially enjoyed her poem to her Grandmother – being a grandma myself, I can only hope my two beautiful grand-daughters will remember me like that. All the best to you Sart Simplified, hope you return.

Oh, my, they just finished our new Mohawk very expensive frieze today. We got out the Dyson last night and so right, it would not move. Neither would my Electrolux with beater bar. I was sick. So glad to read this, even though I will have to buy a new vacuum. I hate to give up my Dyson. Thanks for the post.

Based on this blog and string of messages I went out this weekend to buy the Bissell recommended here. It is model 89Q9 for those looking for that information. I have Mohawk Smart strand silk and it worked beautifully. I put it on the highest height setting and had no issues at all pushing the vacuum. And buy the looks of the canister it definitely picked up dog hair and dirt.

We just got the new Mohawk Smartstrand silk plush as well and have been having a fit trying to find a good vacuum. The Mohawk site and even their own technical support were no help, even after trying vacuums listed on their site. We ordered this Bissell in hopes that our vacuum battle will be over. It arrives tomorrow.

Praise God! We were in the Moore, Oklahoma, May 20th tornado. We finally got our house repaired enough to move back in. We decided to go with the Caress by Shaw thick, soft wonderful carpeting. But then…just like everyone else on here, we couldn’t use our old vacuum. The carpet store had given us a list of recommended vacuums. Oreck was on the list, our old vacuum was an Oreck, but we bought a new one. Still it wouldn’t push across the carpet except on the low speed. However, it sounded like the motor on the machine was almost stopping all the time. Also, just like everyone else, the Shaw’s company was no help at all. The carpet store’s owner had just installed the exact carpet we purchased. They hadn’t found a vacuum that would work either, & they said the manufacturing company said they hadn’t ever heard of anyone having a problem with vacuuming their carpet. I haven’t allowed our poor dogs in the house because I had no way to clean it. Hopefully, i will be able to find this Bissell vacuum tomorrow, & I pray it works like a dream.

As an update to my original post above, we just received this Bissell today and gave it a whirl. It works great. It has the 3 things that Mohawk recommends for the Smartstrand Silk plush – big wheels, on/off switch for the beater bar, and 7 height adjustments. Nobody had it locally, so we got it from Amazon.

Martha
I don’t usually post, but I found this while searching for an answers to the same problem. I did order the Bissell, but it did not work on my carpet. We could hardly push it, I was so disappointed. The really GOOD suggestion from the original post, and what should be done, is to take a large sample (6 feet) of the carpet to a vacuum sales store and try the vacuums out that they have. The salesman told me that this is a common problem. I spent hours and hours online researching this. I bought a high end carpet at Home Depot, one of the Soft Spring Gentle 1 series. I would have saved myself so much time if I would have done that in the first place. I had to return the Bissell to Amazon. If this helps just one person, it would be worth it.

Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just too wonderful.
I actually like what you have acquired here, really like what you’re
saying and the way in which you say it. You make it
enjoyable and you still care for to keep it sensible. I cant wait to read much more
from you. This is actually a wonderful site.

I moved to a new house with new carpet and my old Bissell vacuum would not move. I googled and found the blog and I am so thankful to Star who made my work so easy. I ordered the Lift of multicyclonic Bissell vacuum and it works great.
thank you

Well, Dyson went to craigslist. I’ve spent many weeks trying to find the current models for the recommended vacuums on the Mohawk website without success. Saw this website finally and just ordered the Bissell from Amazon. I pray pray that it will work. We love our beautiful Smartstrand silk and I want to keep it beautiful. Will let you know
RRoss

I like the valuable information you provide in your articles.
I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently.
I’m quite certain I will learn a lot of new stuff right here!
Best of luck for the next!

I have been having the same problem with the new carpets in my two bedrooms. I tried a Shark – didn’t work. Couldn’t push it. Then I took big pieces of my two new carpets into Lowes and tried out several vacuums with a lot of settings. Ended up with a Eureka that worked beautifully in the store – brought it home and it didn’t work on my carpets at home. It doesn’t take into consideration the pad underneath the carpet. I am at a loss, as we tried the Bissell in at the store, and it didn’t work quite as well in the store on my samples as the Eureka did. So I am afraid to bring that home too. We will take the Eureka back.

I’ll shop for the Bissell soon! Thought I was losing my mind after having new carpet installed in bedrooms. Even the installer(big burly guy) was shocked when he couldn’t get my Dyson to move front or back. I’ve been using the hand tools – fortunately my bedrooms are small, but that is not a long-term solution. Thanks for all of this information. What a relief.

and my story goes a little like this. i went in to the carpet store with my Dyson b/c i love it SOOOOO MUCH. they thought i was nuts. i said i’m not buying any carpet that won’t work with this vacuum. i ended up with caress, which worked on the sample. i even made the installer roll it out on our driveway before installation to try it. it worked and i did my happy dance. AFTER it was installed on the pad, i could hardly vacuum it. it was a full work-out with lots of sweat, which i’m sure i can’t do each week.

i called the installer and cried. they sent me this link by Shaw: http caressbyshaw dot com/infoevents/common/caress-vacuum-list.pdf

i’m wondering how Bissell performs? we’ve got serious allergies in this household, so i need something strong to pick up every bit of dust.

I staring down the road to depression myself. We’ve had a Dyson for about 5 years and I’ve loved every second of it. Until we bought a new house – and had thick awesome, plush carpet installed throughout. I’ve haven’t been able to vacuum in the 3 weeks we’ve been here! The Dyson is way too hard to push with the bar off or on. I’m seriously going to cry because the dang thing was $499! I may have to find a Sears and do exactly what you did. It’s crushing to realize what I bought of as the best vacuum ever isn’t compatible with my brand new (and expensive) carpet.

I searched for many, many weeks online to find a good vacuum for our new Shaw Caress carpeting. I had a Hoover Windtunnel for many years but it was not a good match for the Shaw. It was extremely hard to push, even with the power assist and highest setting. I found two different lists on Shaw websites with their recommendations. I was finally about to give in and buy the $599 Oreck Magnesium until I found this page. The vacuum you recommended was going to be my first attempt. I found it online for $130 at Walmart.com and ordered it right away. I don’t normally post online but since your original post led me down the right path, I wanted to follow up. This vacuum works excellent on the Shaw Caress. My wife is also sooo much happier because she struggled even trying to push the Hoover. Thanks and good luck to others who find this post!

Has anyone had over a year’s experience with their Bissell Lift-Off Multi-Cyclonic Pet Upright Vacuum with HEPA filter and Turbo-Brush for stairs and Upholstery? Before I buy it I want to make sure it will hold up on SmartStrand Silk carpet. I have been through about 11 vacuums including the Oreck Magnesium which lasted 2 mos. and then quit. Thanks.

We’ve had ours for 8 years and as long as you replace filters occasionally, it works great. We bought a dyson to replace the bissell, but kept the bissell stored in a closet. Glad we did because our dyson would not work on our carpet so we dusted off the bissell, replaced the filters off we went, vacuuming like a champ.

Hello! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell
you I genuinely enjoy reading your articles.
Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the
same subjects? Appreciate it!

I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or
did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from.

Hallelujah and success!!! I do not have Friese carpet but bought the most luxurious carpet in the store. It looked and felt great in the showroom, but once installed I had the same issue with the vacuum. My Hoover Wind Tunnel would not spin. I went out and bought another vacuum that they assured me would work. Same problem! I found your post (Thank Goodness!!!) and ordered the vacuum online. (I could not find it in any stores, after visiting all the ones that Bissell told me did). The model is an 89Q9 for those who are searching for it in the future. I had to order it directly from Bissell. The website has it and an 89Q9P which they could not tell me the difference between the two. Thank you for your post!!! You saved me and my new plush new carpet

I found this site because I just purchased new carpet and am having the same problem. Since it started 6 years ago and some of the vacuums have been discontinued, does anyone know what is currently working for this problem? I have an Oreck and a Shark. The Shark will not budge, and the Oreck overheats after a small amount of time. I have tried to raise the setting as high as possible. Phyllis

Some high pile carpets require alternative vacuums to ensure damage does not occur during vacuuming. These high pile styles are typically referred to as high nap frieze or shags.
The majority of vacuum sales are of the type called “upright” machines that utilize a combination of suction, airflow and brush rollers to provide improved cleaning. While perfectly acceptable for maintenance of most carpets, these brush rollers may cause accelerated texture change in some high pile carpets. The texture change caused by the brush rolls on some machines can be severe and is typically irreparable. Additionally, damage can occur to the upright vacuum, such as broken drive belts, entwined brush rolls and damaged motors.
Currently, the type vacuum that has been found most suitable for maintaining high pile carpet is referred to as “straight air appliances”. They are different from the typical vacuum cleaners in that they do not have brush roll agitators. The preferred styles are canister or central vacuum systems. These vacuum cleaner systems have three main components: the vacuum source, the floor tool or head and a flexible hose connecting the two.
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Several manufacturers of straight air machines have designed floor tools specifically for high pile carpets. The design of the vacuum head can have a significant bearing on the vacuum’s ability to remove soil and groom the carpet. Cleaning efficacy o is enhanced when the carpet is vacuumed from multiple directions as opposed to straight line back and forth movement.
Not all floor tools currently sold with homeowner canister vacuums are suitable, hence the need for a purpose designed floor tool. A correctly designed tool l glides easily and has no brushes or Velcro type rub strips that can fray the carpet tufts.
Suitable floor tools for high pile carpets are available as retrofit items for the residential canister vacuums on the market today, although many are not readily available at retail outlets. The CRI suggests contacting one of the following vacuum cleaner floor tool manufacturers and request their floor tool for high pile carpets.
Contact Information: (for example)
1. United Electric (TUEC) (800)334-6878
2. Wessel Werk (704) 658-0502